Synopsis

Act One

Belmonte has come in search of his fiancée Konstanze, who, along with her friend Blonde, was taken captive by Selim, an extremely rich man. After persistent questioning of the head guard, Osmin, Belmonte ascertains that he has arrived at Selim’s mansion. Pedrillo – Blonde’s boyfriend – appears, and Osmin expresses his hatred for him. Belmonte is overjoyed to learn from Pedrillo that Konstanze is alive and well. Selim is greeted by his loyal supporters and proposes marriage to Konstanze, but she confesses that her heart belongs to another. As she enters the mansion, he warns her that he never takes ‘no’ for an answer. Pedrillo recommends Belmonte to Selim as a future employee. Selim, curious, organises a further meeting before heading into his house. Pedrillo and Belmonte go to follow him, only to discover Osmin and his men blocking their path.

Act Two

Inside Selim’s mansion, Osmin pursues Blonde but she rejects him firmly. Going to see her friend, Blonde discovers Konstanze in a state of profound unhappiness and increasingly distressed by Selim’s pursuit of her. Pedrillo breaks into the mansion to see his beloved Blonde and to explain that he and Belmonte have a plan to abduct the girls that night. But first he has to deal with Osmin. Pedrillo gets the guard drunk and, with the help of a delighted Blonde, ties him up. Belmonte joins them and is finally reunited with Konstanze. The women reassure the men that, despite the temptations offered by Selim, they have remained true to their lovers.

Interval

Act Three

Pedrillo and a nervous Belmonte await the propitious moment for their girlfriends’ escape. Pedrillo decides to give the signal by singing an old ballad but Konstanze is caught by an enraged and hung-over Osmin. Threatened with physical violence, she remains defiant. Her courage, however, is in vain: the others are captured and Osmin revels in the prospect of watching them all die. Selim, visiting Belmonte and Konstanze in their cell, discovers that Belmonte is the son of his greatest enemy. The couple await their fate, each happy to die for the other. At the moment of their execution, Selim suddenly relents, freeing the lovers and sending them home. All except Osmin rejoice.